At The Stone Church, bands from around the Seacoast and across New England
compete for a chance at musical glory
Words and photos by Charlie Weinmann
On a recent Wednesday night, Kyle Chick was barefoot as he thrashed around behind two hand drums, his blond dreadlocks blurring his face. If it looked like Chick was in a fight or waging some great conflict, in a way, he was. Chick is the percussionist for the dub-reggae jam band Merther, and the Maine-based band was the latest to emerge victorious at a weekly battle-of-the-bands series this month at The Stone Church in Newmarket.
The competition is a sort of musical March Madness. Sponsored by Worcester, Mass.-based promoter Wormtown Trading Co., the contest pits 36 bands from throughout New England against each other at four venues in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Each Wednesday night, three bands face off. The winning bands return for a semi-final round on March 25, and the final four bands will compete on Saturday, March 28, in Worcester. The prize? A performance slot at the annual Strangecreek music festival in Greenfield, Mass.
This is the contest’s second year at The Stone Church. On March 4, Chick and the rest of Merther squared off against Massachusetts-based roots-reggae band GreenHouse and Portsmouth’s own Back on the Train for the first round of the competition.
“I love festivals. I know what it’s all about,” said GreenHouse’s Jim Callery at the beginning of the night. “I’m looking forward to playing with a couple other good musicians, and making some new friends and having a good time and a night of good music. If that happens, then there’s really nothing to be upset about.”
Above and at top: Merther on stage at The Stone Church
With green, red, and blue lights flashing behind them, the bands took turns on the small stage. GreenHouse played a set of covers of reggae classics, like Gregory Isaacs’ “Night Nurse.” The band is only six months old, and, according to Wormtown’s Mitch Candiano, one of the evening’s judges, those rough edges showed.
“They had some good material, but you could tell they were still a new band,” he said.
Back on the Train followed with a slightly more upbeat set, and though both GreenHouse and Back on the Train had the small crowd tapping their feet, the energy in the room didn’t compare to Merther’s set at the beginning of the night. According to Chick, the band’s name comes from Jamaican slang for the trance induced by smoking cannabis — and though the band didn’t appear to be stoned, they certainly were in a musical trance of their own. Merther was laid-back but confident, with a set that seamlessly transitioned from covers to original songs and kept the crowd moving.
“We want to throw a good show. That’s 100 percent what it’s about is the music and getting a chance to con-nect with people,” Chick said later.
Merther drove four and a half hours from Blue Hill, Maine, for the show. And though Chick said the battle’s grand prize is a bonus, their main goal was to meet other bands and make some new fans. It was a feeling shared by the other bands, too — off-stage, you’d have no idea the bands were competing against each other.
“We don’t really truly care if we win or lose. It’s great to win, but it’s also great just to get out here and play our music for people.”
— Kyle Chick of Merther
But they were, and, by the end of the night, Merther was the clear winner.
“Compared to the other bands they were a little tighter, more polished. They also played the most originals, which is something we look for,” Candiano said. And, he added, they got “the people grooving.”
Finding a winner is mostly about instinct, according to judge Derek Kipp. “In the end, it’s bound to be subjective because there’s no scoring,” he said. Music festivals are “one giant party,” and the band that gets the most people on their feet is ultimately the best fit. “We see some bands that are extremely talented, but their vibe isn’t quite there.”
“We definitely have a fair number of bands that we bring back and are now consistent acts who can draw crowds,” said the Church’s assistant general manager Christian Pearson. “That ends up being mutually beneficial if we can find a band who can end up bringing people.”But even if a band doesn’t win the contest, they can still find a home, and an audience, at the Church. Contestants from previous battles of the band end up becoming regular acts at the venue.
For Chick and the other musicians who competed that night, the contest is a chance to generate more gigs, network with other bands, and pick up a few new fans along the way. Though the contest includes bands from all over New England, the region’s music community is still small, and friendships between musicians are important.
“The more connections and the more people we know, the greater (the) musical community (that) is being built,” Chick said. “We don’t really truly care if we win or lose. It’s great to win, but it’s also great just to get out here and play our music for people.”
The next round of the Strange-creek Battle of the Bands features Seacoast band Amulus and Massachusetts based bands Krunkelstiltskin and True Monks on Wednesday, March 18 at 9:30 p.m. at The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket. Finals will be held on March 25.
Editor’s note: a previous version of this story misstated the order in which the bands played. The story has been updated to reflect that Merther played first, followed by GreenHouse and Back on the Train.